Homebuyers and homeowners can be excused for not knowing the names of all of the parts of a house. A typical house contains more than 3,000 different components. You may hear people throwing around terms such as soffit, cornice and joist without knowing exactly what they are.
Some of the names for house parts have made their way into common English usage in a non-housing context. For instance, most people know the term "eavesdropper" for someone who listens in on someone else's conversation. One also finds house parts in people's names, such as the actor Clark Gable or tennis star Patrick Rafter.
Here's a primer on some of the components of a typical house from John A. Kilpatrick's book Understanding House Construction, published by the Home Builder Press of the National Association of Home Builders.
For a full dictionary of building terms go to: www.nahb.org
MOLDING is found both on the interior and exterior of houses. It is the wood, metal, plastic or plaster trim used around windows and doors, at the tops and bases of walls, along cornices, and for other decorative details.
BASE MOLDING is a decorative band or finish board that is used to cover the joint between the wall and the floor; it is also sometimes called baseboard.
CROWN MOLDING is a decoration used to cover the area where the wall and the ceiling intersect.
FLASHING
is sheet metal or plastic used to cover joints and openings in
exterior surfaces of the house to protect against water leakage.
FRAMING is the structural skeleton of the house, usually
made of beams, studs and joists.
BEAMS are members used to support the structure.
CENTER BEAM is a member that runs the length of the first floor of a house and supports the house structure above it.
COLLAR BEAM is a horizontal member in the roof that provides structural strength by connecting opposite rafters.
STUDS are the upright wood or metal members used to form the walls and partitions.
JOISTS
are the horizontal parallel beams that support floors and ceilings.
CORNICES are found on the exterior of the house.
They are the structural trim that is used to cover the area where
the roof and the wall meet.
SOFFIT is a special type of cornice that covers the exposed underside of a projecting house part, such as the exposed underside of part of your roof that extends beyond a wall of your house.
EAVES
are the edges of roof that run parallel to the ground. You put
gutters along the eaves to carry off rainwater and snowmelt from
the roof.
RAFTERS
are the structural members that form the legs of the triangle
created by the framing.
RIDGE BOARD is the length of lumber at the peak of the roof to which the upper ends of the rafters are fastened.
GABLE is the triangular end wall of a house that extends from the eaves to the peak of the roof. (A famous house in Salem, Massachusetts has seven of them.)
DORMER
is a projection built out from a sloping roof as a room extension
or for a window.
Not all houses have all of these features, and there are many
house features that are not described above. If you wish to learn
more about the components of a house, you may order the book Understanding
House Construction by calling 1-800-223-2665, or by visiting www.BuilderBooks.com.
The cost is $19.75 plus postage and handling.
Building Standards: Means the structural, mechanical, electrical,
and quality standards of the home building industry for the geographic area
in which the dwelling is situated.
Dwelling: Means a new building, not previously occupied, constructed
for the purpose of habitation; but does not include appurtenant recreational
facilities, detached garages, driveways, walkways, patios, boundary walls,
retaining walls not necessary for the structural stability of the dwelling,
landscaping, fences, non-permanent construction materials, off-site improvements,
and all other similar items.
Major Construction Defect: Means actual damage to the load-bearing
portion of the dwelling or the home improvement, including damage due to
subsidence, expansion or lateral movement of the soil, which affects the
load-bearing function and which vitally affects or is imminently likely
to vitally affect use of the dwelling or the home improvement for residential
purposes. "Major construction defect" does not include damage
due to movement of the soil caused by flood, earthquake or other natural
disaster.
Vendee: Means any purchaser of a dwelling and includes the initial
vendee and any subsequent purchasers.
Vendor: Means any person, firm or corporation which constructs dwellings
for the purpose of sale, including the construction of dwellings on land
owned by vendees.
Home Improvement: Means the repairing, remodeling, altering, converting
or modernizing of, or adding to a residential building. For the purpose
of this definition, residential building does not include appurtenant recreational
facilities, detached garages, driveways, walkways, patios, boundary walls,
retaining walls not necessary for the structural stability of the building,
landscaping, fences, non-permanent construction materials, off-site improvements,
and all other similar items.
Owner: Means any person who owns a residential building on which
home improvement work is performed, and includes any subsequent owner of
the residential building.
Remedies: A. New Home Warranties: Upon breach of any warranty imposed
by section 327A.02, subdivision 1, the vendee shall have a cause of action
against the vendor for damages arising out of the breach, or for specific
performance. Damages shall be limited to:
Variations: The commissioner of administration may approve pursuant to sections 14.05 to 14.28, variations from the provisions of sections 327A.02 and 327A.03 if the warranty program of the vendor or the home improvement contractor requesting the variation offers at least substantially the same protections to the vendee or owner as provided by the statutory warranties set forth in section 327A.02
Limitations: Notwithstanding any other provision of Laws 1981, chapter 119, sections 1 to 10: